New York in HDR. Someone take me there at teach me that?
Taken by Greg Brophy
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Pic of zee Week
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
All that is big and strange in 'Berta, PT1
Ah, Alberta is weird. There are so many small, rural towns that erected huge and totally odd statues dedicated to... pretty much anything. Below is a list of some of the weirder attractions but I think there's over 30 so I'll have to do some more digging. Any suggestions?
Worlds Largest Pysanka (AKA giant Easter Egg)
Location: Vegreville, Alberta
Size: 7.8 m (25.7 ft) long and 9.5 m (31 ft)
Worlds Largest Dinosaur
Location: Drumheller, Alberta
Size: 15 Feet (4.6 Metres) and 40 Feet (12.2 Metres)
Saamis Teepee
Location: Medicine Hat, Alberta
Size: Height: 215' (65.5 m)
World's Largest Pyrogy
Location: Glendon, Alberta
Size: Height: 27' (8.2), Width: 12' (3.7 m)
Worlds Largest Bee
Location: Falher, Alberta
Size: Length 22'8" (6.9 m) Diameter 7'7" (2.3 m)
Worlds Largest Peace Dove
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Size: Wingspan: 56' (17 m) Weight: 5 tons
Replica of the Star Trek Enterprise
Location: Vulcan, Alberta
Size: Height: 53' (16 m) Area: 2,930 sq. ft.
Worlds Largest Mushrooms
Location: Vilna, Alberta
Size: Height: 20' (6.1 m)
Worlds Largest Beaver
Location: Beaverlodge, Alberta
Size: Height: 15 Feet
Largest Cowboy Boot
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Size: 12 Metres
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
I Wanna Go To...
Well, anywhere and everywhere really. But here's a list of the coolest places I'd like to see. Of course my actual list is much, much longer but I've tried to condense it.
Devil's Swimming Pool In Zimbabwe, Africa
Victoria Falls is a 108m waterfall located between Zimbabwe and Zambia. There is a cool feature called "Devil's Swimming Pool" near the end of the falls. When the river is calm, you can walk to the very edge of the pool because of rock wall below the water.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Piccu was built in 1450 but abandoned and remained lost until 1911. This Incan site was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Petra, Jordan
Petra is an archaeological site in Arabah, Aqaba Governorate, Jordan. It was also used as a set in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia built in the early 12th century. Want see.
Grand Canyon, Arizona/Nevada
I've always wanted to go see the Grand Canyon. I've heard there is amazing hiking and it definitely reminds me of Drumheller on steroids. 
More to come
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Industry of Wedded Bliss
Allright, this is going to piss some people off, and I'm ok with that. I want to talk about modern weddings and why I think they're not only a horrible idea, but flat-out dumb. Our society has always had an industry based on making money from them, but it seems like the past few years they've really been shoving it down our throats. The average cost of a wedding in 2005?
27,000 dollars.
I'm sorry, but doesn't anyone else find that fucking insane? Not to sound cheesy, but couldn't a celebration of "true love" be umm..free? What's wrong with having a backyard reception with a potluck provided by guests? You know, instead of asking for 500$ sheets or something equally selfish that's going to put more financial burden on your guests. Do the prices of gifts on the registry directly correlate to the cost of the reception? That's pretty selfish too actually, sort of the mentality that "If I'm spending 30 grand on a wedding to entertain people (40% of which probably don't even want to be there), I should get something out of it".
So that's just the cost of weddings, I haven't even gotten into the physically superficial aspect of it. How many women do you know have attempted to lose weight to fit an overpriced dress they definitely didn't need? I don't think as individuals they can be blamed, not with the onslaught of cable shows focusing on this very aspect. As anyone who knows me might understand, I have a very, very high tolerance for trashy TV. In fact, I sort of thrive on it, but there are a few shows that have me frantically scrambling for the remote every time they come on. Ever heard of the program "Bulging Brides"?
Well, here is a synopsis directly from the show's website:
"Bulging Brides is a fast-paced, action-packed television series that exposes a bride’s desperate struggle to drop unwanted inches so that she can look picture perfect on her wedding day... Racked by tension from the bridal arrangements and petrified by the thought of looking chunky on her big day, the bride-to-be has turned to the Dream Team as a last resort to lose her flab and look breathtaking in her gown."
If you think that's sad, just wait for the screencap of the "fattie" in question:
Oh my eyes! Her non-existent flub is making me nauseated. Instead of being so focused on looking "picture perfect" on her wedding day (Hello photoshop?) you'd think they'd be more focused on actually staying married (insert commonly used rising divorce rate statistic here).
This just makes me so sad, for like, the world. Or feminism. Or whatever.
One of my favorite sites, Jezebel, linked to a video series called Target Women, done by the very funny Sarah Haskins. She takes on media and advertisements focused at woman in general. Specifically: Botox, yogurt that makes you poop (cuz you're fat silly ladies, yogurt is the new laxative!) and wedding shows like the infamous "Bulging Brides".
Maybe I'm not buying into this because I don't actually want to get married, like ever. Or maybe I'm not buying into it because I'm so sick of images and messages regarding womens never-good-enough appearances, wedding-related or not. I realize I'm not alone in this, but I can't help that notice how many smart, educated and confident women not only buying into it, but loving it.
Case in point; Wedding Movies.
Just a few listed below. Most of which I've actually never seen, so if the movie is actually good and is not made to make single gals feel desperate, married gals feel lonely and normal gals feel fat, please let me know.
27 Dresses
Tagline: This January, always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
The Wedding Date
Tagline: Love doesn't come cheap.
The Wedding Planner
Tagline: His big day is her big problem.
My Best Friends Wedding
Tagline: A comedy about finding your heart and losing your head.
Allright I'm going to stop there because I'm actually boring myself, and yes, I've left off Wedding Singer because it's an awesome movie. Now I'm going to go eat some yogurt and dream of someday acheiving happiness via debt-laden weddings, a smooth wrinkle free face and predictable rom-com wedding movies.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Vegreville
I haven't been to Vegreville since I was a little girl. I remember this egg being massive, just way too big for words. Needless to say it was a bit disappointing seeing it as an adult, I felt like I was almost tall enough to touch it. Some random pictures from around the park:
Close up of the Pysanka
Some pond scum
The roof of the gazebo
Big ole bug
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Day Trippin'
Just outside of Lamont County, AB.
I love rural Alberta
Crossing
Endless Canola
Elk Island Park
I went to Elk Island park the other day cuz I wanted to see some bison. I love and huge and lazy they are but they also kind of scare the shit out of me (click to see 'em bigger)
Hayburger Trail
Wee little birdie
After hiking for more than 5 kms with no sight of bison except their huge piles o'dung, on the drive back alot of them were hanging out on the side of the road.
Chowin'
Posin'
Swamp
Chillin'
More Trees
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